The Colony
The colony is located west of the Centre Block and the statue of Alexander Mackenzie. The fence surrounding the colony is no obstacle to the cats and they are free to roam the grounds.
Chartrand built the first set of cold weather shelters in the mid-1980s, some of which are still extant. The current structures, resembling the houses of European settlers along the St. Lawrence, were built by Chartrand and a friend in 1997.
While formally intended for the cats, raccoons, groundhogs, pigeons and squirrels also partake in the cats' benefits.
In 2003, the estimated annual cost of the colony was C$6000.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Parliamentary Cats
Famous quotes containing the word colony:
““Tall tales” were told of the sociability of the Texans, one even going so far as to picture a member of the Austin colony forcing a stranger at the point of a gun to visit him.”
—Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)